Norman Ritchie

Born: February 17, 1938; Died: October 25, 2014

Norman Smith Ritchie, who has died aged 76, was an animal scientist and senior lecturer at the University of Glasgow specialising in nutrition who later set up a pioneering company that provided medical equipment to the farming industry.

Born in Kelvindale, he was one of the two sons of Beryl and Duncan Ritchie. He enjoyed a happy and secure childhood and he retained life-long friendships from those Kelvindale days. After completing his schooling at Hillhead High School, he matriculated at the University of Glasgow to study agricultural chemistry.

His father had wanted him to study accountancy like his brother Gordon, and when his father challenged him as to what he was going to do instead, he replied "agricultural chemistry." The only reason he knew of this subject was that a girlfriend of a friend was studying the subject, and also it seemed the thing farthest removed from accountancy.

Spur of the moment, or perhaps fate, but his BSc in agricultural chemistry was to set the course for the rest of his life. After graduating with a first class honours degree in 1959, he worked for a chemical company for a while, although he was soon encouraged and persuaded by his academic mentor, Professor Gordon Hemingway, that he should return to do a PhD.

He undertook his PhD under the direction of Professor Hemingway at the veterinary school at the University of Glasgow examining the role of magnesium in ruminant nutrition. He then became a lecturer, rising to senior lecturer, in veterinary animal husbandry from 1962 to 1988 (and afterwards on a part-time basis until 1991) specialising in animal production and ruminant nutrition.

These were fruitful years during which Mr Ritchie and Professor Hemingway first developed a magnesium rumen bolus for cattle and sheep. Then a number of years later the two of them, along with Jim Parkins, developed the all-trace bolus, a slow-release intra-ruminal device designed to provide a sustained supply of essential trace elements and vitamins. They had patented these devices through the university and while they had found a manufacturer for the earlier magnesium bolus, none could be sourced for the all-trace bolus.

In 1988, aged 50, he took early retirement but after a couple of days he decided to set up in business as Rumbol Products to manufacture these all-trace boluses. These were to be marketed, as were the earlier magnesium boluses, through the company Agrimin Ltd with whom Mr Ritchie and Professor Hemingway had had a long and rewarding relationship. Considering there was no known technology or manufacturing process to make these boluses at the time it was a somewhat brave move. However Mr Ritchie was just the right person for the task - marrying his intellectual capabilities with his ability to conceive of and develop practical solutions to the inherent difficulties in manufacturing these boluses. It is testament to his creativity and practicality that some 26 years later Rumbol Products are still manufacturing all-trace boluses for Agrimin Ltd using a process largely unchanged from those early days.

He poured his heart and soul into the development of Rumbol, often working 18 hour days to develop the manufacturing business, the processes and the product through many trials and tribulations. It is one thing to have an innovative product, but you also require a marketplace into which to sell it, and as other products launched and failed, Rumbol - through Agrimin - succeeded and over time developed a worldwide market for a product that farmers clearly wanted and valued. Throughout this time a rewarding research relationship was maintained with Veterinary Animal Husbandry colleagues at their large animal research facilities.

He was deeply respected by his workforce at Rumbol and after retiring as managing director in 2011, he remained chairman until his death - comforted and secure in the knowledge that his daughter Elspeth continues to take the company forward.

He met Adrienne Archibald while on holiday in Scarborough, and they soon fell in love, marrying in Rutherford Church on July 6 1962. Family home was set up in Drumchapel Village, and Norman and Adrienne along with their children Linda, Stuart and Elspeth became part of the local community. He became an elder at Drumchapel Parish Church, served on the community council and was a stalwart of the Drumchapel Parish Church Dramatic Club. Adrienne died of cancer in 1983.

Both Norman and Adrienne had both known Sheena Booth through the Drumchapel Parish Church Dramatic Club, and in time Norman and Sheena were to fall in love and they were married in 1991. From this time Sheena's son Kevin became an integral part of Mr Ritchie's life and that of the family circle.

Norman joined the Rotary in Clydebank some 20 years ago and was its president on two occasions, enjoying the many friendships he developed there.

He also enjoyed golf and was a member at Hilton Park and Glasgow and tried to get out once a week when he was fitter.

He also greatly loved music and the theatre, and he found great comfort and pleasure in playing the piano in recent years, and indeed in recent weeks and months where he would play for an hour every day.

Despite his many achievements and accomplishments, the most important thing in his life was his family.

He took great pleasure and pride in his children's development and achievements and was delighted to welcome the spouses of Linda, Stuart, Elspeth and Kevin into the family in due course. His joy was further deepened by the birth of his 10 grandchildren and he always enjoyed being in their company and keeping up to date with their progress and development.

He was a good man in the truest and purest sense of that saying, but was also a fun person to be around.

He was always deeply interested in other people and sincerely believed he was a lucky man to have achieved what he did and to have a family that he loved so deeply.

He passed away peacefully at home and is survived by his wife Sheena, their children and grandchildren.